Orchard Place, Benover Road, Yalding , Kent , ME18 6AU

change of use of the land for the siting of 3no. static caravans and 3no. touring caravans for Gypsy/Traveller occupation as a single site, with associated hard and soft landscaping and habitat/biodiversity improvements

Authority: Maidstone Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: caravan-gypsy · Change of use
Inspector: Dyer I

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area
The effect of the proposal on the significance of Mill House, which is a Grade II listed building
Whether the proposal would provide appropriate living conditions for future occupiers with particular reference to privacy and outdoor amenity space
Whether the site is a suitable location for the proposal, having particular regard to policies concerned with development in areas at risk of flooding

What decided it

The substantial unmet need for gypsy and traveller accommodation in the borough, combined with the Council's inability to demonstrate a five-year supply of pitches and the site's suitability when assessed against flood risk and other criteria, outweighed the identified harms to character, appearance and heritage setting.

Framework references: 11, 13, 28, 63, 187, 212, 213, 215

Plan policies cited: LPRHOU8, LPRQD4, LPRSP15, LPRSP9, LPRSP14(B), LPRENV1

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

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